Perks-ski
PA Ski Perks to PA House Member :'' Source: Editorial, The Patriot-News, Wednesday, April 19, 2006 David Levdansky, a Democratic state legislator from Allegheny County, accomplished two things last winter when he accepted three VIP season lift tickets good for any of 22 Pennsylvania ski resorts: He set himself further apart from his constituents, who must routinely pay $40 or more for a day on the slopes. He helped to confirm for the Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association that, yes, it's a good thing to allow legislators to ski for free. Thirteen bills dealing with ski resorts are now under consideration in the Legislature, including ones that would loosen work place rules for minors and limit lawsuits from slope-related in juries. Levdansky's name appears as a cosponsor on one of them. But he is not alone. The ski association handed out 280 VIP season passes to about 75 of the 253 members of the General Assembly, to be used by either the legislators, family members or staff. Legislators can pursue less vigorous free entertainment, too. All 253 receive a pair of passes from the National Association of Theater Owners, good for free admission to 121 participating movie theaters Sunday through Thursday. There are free tickets for the circus, for art exhibits and for sporting events, including the Pocono 500 NASCAR race and Penn State football games. The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau will treat several dozen legislators and their families from other parts of the state to a free weekend in the City of Brotherly Love this summer, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. In fact, there's no limit on the gifts Pennsylvania legislators can accept. They must report for the public record any gift worth more than $250 -- the VIP ski passes are valued at $600 each -- but lobbyists can lavish any number of luxuries worth less than $250 on legislators without public notice. By contrast, the threshold for New Jersey legislators to report gifts is 1/10th as large, or $25. Pennsylvania is the only state without a law requiring disclosure of lobbyist spending. Its last effort to legislate one was rejected by the state Supreme Court because some lobbyists are lawyers, and only the Supreme Court can regulate lawyers. Commendably, after that ruling the Senate voted to require lobbyists to report their spending on its members. Last year, for example, lobbyists spent $3.37 million for gifts, meals, lodging and other such freebies. As the rules don't require a breakdown, it's assumed that that total includes not just senators but House members and, presumably, officials of the executive branch, as well. A month ago, Gov. Ed Rendell finally ordered lobbyists to register with the governor's office and report their spending, fulfilling a campaign pledge from 2002. Levdansky said the lift tickets, which gave him an opportunity to teach his two children to ski, earned the ski association nothing more than "five or 10 minutes his time and a cup of coffee. "But I owe that to every constituent," he added, "and they don't have to give me anything." Lobbyists may not expect much more than that, but you have to believe that for $124,813,732.35 -- the total lobbying expenses reported last year to the Senate -- they indeed expect more. It remains a huge failing of the General Assembly that it can't pass legislation requiring full disclosure of what lobbyists spend on its members and setting reasonable limits on the type, number and value of gifts that members may accept. These are the people's representatives in Harrisburg, and they ought to conduct their business according to ethical standards that don't offend the sensibilities of the people who elect them. Links * Wellness * Ski * Perks